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Sensory Superpowers

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Lesson Plan

Sensory Profile Guide

Guide a 5th grade student through completing their Sensory Profile Guide, identifying their ‘superpower’ senses, and developing personalized coping strategies to support self-advocacy and regulation.

Understanding personal sensory preferences empowers students to recognize triggers, leverage strengths, and implement tailored strategies for emotional and behavioral well-being.

Audience

5th Grade Student

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Interactive self-assessment and collaborative reflection

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials and Space

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction

5 minutes

  • Welcome the student and explain that today they’ll discover their unique sensory strengths (“superpowers”).
  • Ask which of the five senses they feel most aware of or sensitive to.

Step 2

Complete Sensory Profile

20 minutes

  • Hand the student the Sensory Profile Guide.
  • Guide them to rate comfort or discomfort levels for sight, sound, touch, taste, and movement.
  • Offer clarifications on items as needed.

Step 3

Discuss Profile Results

10 minutes

  • Review completed ratings together.
  • Highlight senses with the highest and lowest scores.
  • Invite the student to share observations or surprises.

Step 4

Identify Superpower Senses

10 minutes

  • Introduce the Superpower Senses Overview slide deck.
  • Discuss how strong or preferred senses can be “superpowers.”
  • Help the student select their top 2–3 superpower senses.

Step 5

Plan Coping Strategies

10 minutes

  • Present the Calm-Down Choice Board.
  • Brainstorm coping activities that align with each superpower sense (e.g., fidget tool for tactile, soft music for auditory).
  • Have the student choose 1–2 strategies per superpower sense and record them.

Step 6

Reflection and Next Steps

5 minutes

  • Introduce My Sensory Diary as a tool for daily reflection.
  • Explain how to log sensory experiences, moods, and strategy use.
  • Summarize key takeaways and schedule a follow-up check-in.
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Slide Deck

Superpower Senses Overview

Welcome to Superpower Senses! Today we’ll learn how your senses are like superpowers. We’ll explore each sense and see how you can use your strongest senses to help you feel calm and focused.

Introduce the purpose of this deck. Explain that we’ll explore how each sense can become a personal superpower and support self-regulation.

What Are Superpower Senses?

Superpower senses are your most powerful or sensitive senses. They help you notice important details, enjoy activities more, and tell you when something feels off. Recognizing them helps you pick strategies that feel just right for you.

Define the term and connect it to the student’s experience. Emphasize empowerment and choice.

Sight as a Superpower

• You spot small details others miss (colors, shapes, patterns).
• You enjoy looking at bright images or organized spaces.

Example activities:
– Use a visual timer or countdown chart
– Organize objects by color or size
– Study detailed pictures or maps

Discuss examples of sight strengths. Ask the student to share times they noticed something visually before others.

Hearing as a Superpower

• You notice quiet sounds (clock ticking, whispers).
• You love listening to music or distinguish instruments easily.

Example activities:
– Listen to soft music or nature sounds
– Use noise-canceling headphones when it’s noisy
– Practice mindful listening (identify five sounds around you)

Talk about auditory strengths. Invite the student to recall a moment they heard something faint or enjoyed a sound.

Touch as a Superpower

• You feel different textures strongly (soft, rough, smooth).
• You enjoy or seek out hands-on activities.

Example activities:
– Use a fidget toy or stress ball
– Wear a favorite soft fabric
– Explore sensory bins with rice, beans, or sand

Explain tactile strengths. Encourage the student to describe textures they love or dislike.

Taste & Smell as Superpowers

• You taste flavors very strongly (sweet, sour, spicy).
• You pick up scents others might miss.

Example activities:
– Chew gum or crunchy snacks
– Smell scented markers or a scented bracelet
– Try new flavors and rate how intense they are

Cover taste and smell together. Ask which foods or scents they notice most.

Discover Your Top Senses

Think back to your Sensory Profile Guide results. Which senses had the highest or most noticeable scores? Choose your top 2–3 superpower senses. We’ll use these to build your personalized toolkit.

Guide the student to review their Sensory Profile results and select top senses.

Next Steps: Use Your Superpowers

With your top superpower senses in mind:
• Use the Calm-Down Choice Board to pick calming activities that match your senses.
• Record daily experiences in My Sensory Diary to track how strategies help you.

Ready to feel in control of your superpowers?

Prepare the student for the next session items: Calm-Down Choice Board and Sensory Diary.

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Journal

My Sensory Diary

Date: ___________________________



1. Sensory Experiences Today

Which sense did you notice most? (sight, sound, touch, taste, movement)
Describe what you felt or noticed:

______________________________




2. My Mood and Feelings

My mood today was: ___________________
Why I felt this way:

______________________________




3. Strategies I Tried

I chose these calming activities from the Calm-Down Choice Board:
• Strategy 1: ___________________
• Strategy 2: ___________________





4. How Helpful Were They?

Rate each strategy from 1 (not helpful) to 5 (very helpful):
• Strategy 1: ___
• Strategy 2: ___
What worked or didn’t work?

______________________________




5. Reflection & Next Steps

What did I learn about my senses today?

How will I use this learning tomorrow?

______________________________










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Worksheet

Calm-Down Choice Board

Use your superpower senses to choose calming activities. Circle or check the ones you want to try when you need to feel calm. Pick at least one strategy for each of your top superpower senses.

SightSoundTouchTaste & SmellMovement
Visual timer ☐Soft music ☐Fidget toy ☐Chew gum ☐Stretch arms ☐
Organize objects by color ☐Nature sounds (rain, birds) ☐Stress ball ☐Smell scented markers ☐Jump in place ☐
Look at calming pictures ☐Noise-canceling headphones ☐Wear a favorite soft fabric ☐Scented bracelet ☐Walk slowly ☐
Study patterns or shapes ☐Listen to white noise ☐Hand massage with lotion ☐Taste a crunchy snack ☐Rock back and forth ☐

My Favorite Strategies

Strategy 1: ________________________________




Strategy 2: ________________________________




Strategy 3: ________________________________



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